Africa-Press – Eswatini. Manzini Athletics Club (MAC) and Coach Muzi Mabuza have been found guilty of multiple counts of misconduct, with the latter slapped with a five-year suspension.
The ruling was handed down by the Disciplinary Committee (DC), chaired by Thulani Sibandze, earlier yesterday. Mabuza, who was charged by the Athletics Association (AE), appeared before the DC more than three weeks ago with half a dozen counts for alleged misconduct. They included utterances criticising the office of the President, Zakhele Dlamini. MAC and Mabuza were found guilty in all six counts they were facing. Mabuza appeared before the DC at the Eswatini Olympic and Commonwealth Games Association (EOCGA) boardroom, where he faced charges alongside his club on November 9 and the written verdict was issued yesterday. The accusations brought against him include violations of the World Athletics (WA) Integrity Code of Conduct and Article 29 of the AE Constitution.
The case originated from a letter or petition signed by a majority of the clubs, including MAC, which called for a special general meeting to address pressing concerns. Count two of the charges stated that on or about September 8, 2023, in or near Manzini, the violators were said to have failed to conduct themselves in a proper manner by referring to themselves as ‘not only members but real owners and/or athletics people’. This conduct was deemed obscene, offensive and insulting towards the initiators and other AE members, thus violating the proper conduct rule. The AE was cited as initiators in the matter.
remarks
In count three, it was said that the MAC and Mabuza, who were referred as violators wrote to the initiators and made discriminatory remarks, claiming that, within AE, some individuals were mere members, while they, the violators, were the true owners. This action was said to be in violation of the equality code of conduct. “The violators sent a voice audio to Tendai Tagara, the President of the National Athletics Association of Zimbabwe (NAAZ). In this audio, they made discriminatory comments, suggesting that the AE president, AE treasurer, and AE additional member (doctor) lack the credentials to be considered athletics persons due to their football background,” reads count four in part.
As a result of the verdict, the Manzini Athletics Club was ordered to pay a fine of E2 000, within 30 days. Failure to comply within the given timeframe will result in the club’s suspension from participating in all athletics activities for a period of two years. Muzi Mabuza, the second violator, is also suspended from all athletics activities for five years. The same sanctions outlined in count one apply to count two and three as well. In counts four, five, and six, the violators face similar consequences, with a slight difference. The first violator will be required to pay an additional E1 000, and failing to do so will result in a three-year suspension instead of two. The second violator will also face a three-year suspension.
obligated
Notably, the Thulani Sibandze-led committee has suggested that the sanctions in counts one to three should run concurrently, as should the sentence in counts four to six. Consequently, the first violator is now obligated to pay a fine of E5 000 within 30 days of the ruling. Failure to meet this payment deadline will result in a five-year suspension from all athletics activities. Similarly, the second violator will be suspended for a period of five years. In response to the verdict, Mabuza vehemently denied accepting the decision rendered by the questionable DC. Without explicitly stating his intentions, he asserted that he would be proactive in pursuing the necessary actions, whether that includes filing an appeal or not. The announcement of the verdict was made by AE PRO Victor ‘Mavikana’ Dlamini.
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